


Like A Sunburn

by ziam_palik



Category: One Direction (Band), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gay Sex, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-02-03
Packaged: 2017-11-23 17:51:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/624928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziam_palik/pseuds/ziam_palik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a heated kiss, Zayn walks out, leaving behind a heart broken Liam. Burying away feelings and trying to move on, they can only pretend to not love each other for so long, until it comes roaring to the surface with a vengeance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Here, have an angsty prologue! I don't have a beta right now, so any mistakes are mine and mine alone. If you're interested though, let me know. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while now.

He wasn't sure how it happened, one second they were fooling around like they usually did when Zayn stayed over, they had been battling it out in a game of Halo, which lead to Liam goading Zayn for kicking his ass, then his breath was catching in his throat, looking down at those rich amber eyes, framed by thick dark lashes that would make any woman envious. 

Fuck he was beautiful.

His hand shot up to cup his cheek, brushing his thumb across his tanned skin, so soft and warm to the touch. He could feel a lump forming in his throat, swallowing down hard to get rid of it, but it lodged there, not budging. He started to lean in and he heard Zayn softly whisper his name, but he was lost in a haze that was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Then his lips were pressed against his, his eyelids slowly fluttering closed as he focused on the feel of those full lips against his. They were soft and velvety, and he found himself prying them apart with his tongue, because the need to deepen the kiss, to taste him dancing across his tongue was nearly overwhelming. 

The subtle taste of cigarettes and something sweet, like chewing gum, crashed into him like a tsunami, overloading his senses and making his go blurry. He groaned softly into his mouth and Zayn was so respondent, his tongue gliding along his, which made a shiver crawl up his spine, make him ache in a new way. He started to pull away, but Zayn's hands shot up to grip onto his neck, keeping him pressed close, so he leaned in closer, the heat between their bodies radiating and intense. Liam's hand slowly fell down to rest on Zayn's shoulder, feeling the muscle beneath the soft fabric of his t-shirt. His fingers curled slightly, his fingertips pressing in hard against his skin, holding on to him tightly as if he was an anchor, the only thing solid holding him to this Earth. 

He finally broke the kiss, simply because he could hardly breathe anymore, and his parted lips pulled in soft gasps of air, afraid to open his eyes and see any trace of regret on Zayn's perfect face. Then he felt his face against his neck, his breath hot against his already feverish skin. “I've wanted that for so long,” he heard him whisper, his voice faint and his words muffled, and at first he wasn't even sure if he heard him correctly. His heart was hammering painfully against his chest, and his blood was rushing through his body at a rate that didn't seem healthy or normal. He slowly ran a hand up his muscular back, tangling his fingers up in his hair after it grazed up his neck. 

“Me too...”

And he had, he had wanted it since he had walking into that McDonald's, seeing that beautiful boy in his snapback and hoodie, a crooked grin curving over his lips. It was so easy to fall for Zayn, to get caught up in the mysterious air that sometimes surrounded him, or the way he could make you laugh when you most needed it. He never even realized just how much he cared until the first time they were really separated, and all Liam could feel was an ache in his heart, a yearning just to see those deep amber eyes, that smile that made his stomach flip, that dark hair he itched to just run his fingers through. The second he came back he broke down into tears, clinging to him, unable to even pretend like it didn't effect him as much as it did. 

If that hadn't of been a clue into what he was feeling, then what took place tonight certainly was. His fingers ran through his silky black hair, concentrating on trying to get his breathing back to normal, but in all honesty, it was never really normal when he was with this boy. Eventually Zayn picked up his head, something swimming in his eyes that Liam couldn't really put a name to, but it made his stomach lurch in a painful way, and he suddenly felt like he would throw up. 

“I should...I should go...” 

Liam wanted to grab onto him and keep him there, but those words hurt so badly, he had to put all of his focus into not breaking down into tears right then and there. Instead the emotion just lodged in his throat, making him feel like he was choking. Slowly suffocating. He should have said something along the lines of 'No...please...stay....' but they didn't come out, instead he just nodded slowly and averted his gaze away, looking at anything but Zayn. 

He felt him move away, robbed of the comforting warmth that his body had provided. “I'll...I'll call you, tomorrow.” 

And then he was gone. 

Liam breathed out slowly, but it caught in his throat, choked out by a sob that clawed it's way out of him in the most painful of ways. He wrapped one arm around his middle and struggled to breathe, leaning forward and shutting his eyes tightly. What had he done wrong? One second Zayn was kissing him, holding him, telling him he wanted this...the next he was gone. 

After a while Liam was able to breathe again, and it was enough to pull himself together and climb the stairs to his room, collapsing on his bed, one he had thought for a split second that Zayn would be in, with him tonight. He curled up on his side, puling the comforter up over him as he stared off at the wall, turning over in his mind what he could have possibly done to scare him off like that. Eventually darkness began to blur his mind and his eyes closed, sleep taking over and pulling him away into a place where he didn't have to think about it anymore.


	2. Cache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam's been with Danielle for close to a year now, deciding to move on after being brushed off after the kiss. Liam is realizing that even though it's been a year, his feelings for Zayn haven't died down at all, in fact, they've only grown more intense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: a bit of Payzer in this chapter...

**cache**   
_Verb_  
Store away in hiding or for future use.

Liam could feel her eyes racking over his body, and usually that look she was giving him right now would bring him to his knees, but this morning he just didn't have it in him. He let out a slow breath and threw the covers off of him, pretending to just not notice, his bare feet coming into contact with the cold wooden floor of her bedroom. He grabbed his sweatpants off the floor and pulled them on as he stood up, running a hand through his sleep tousled brown hair as he made his way to the bathroom. He could hear the heavy sigh of disappointment behind him, and normally that would be enough to change his mind. Make him turn around and get lost in the sheets with her. 

He stood in front of the mirror for a moment, his warm brown eyes peering back at him, and he could see the slightly dark circles that ran under his eyes, the proof that sleep had been evading him lately. A part of him knew that Danielle figured something was wrong, that she was just waiting for him to open up to her, but he didn't want to.

 _He couldn't._

He let out a low growl and grabbed his toothbrush, squeezing some toothpaste onto the white bristles and brushing his teeth with a bit more force than was really necessary, hard enough that when he spit into the porcelain sink, the water ran pink, the sharp taste of iron filling his mouth. He finished up, splashed some water on his face and patted it dry with the nearest towel before stepping back out into the bedroom. 

He paused when he saw her, now fully dressed and moving around, running a brush through her relaxed hair, which he hated in all honesty. He preferred when it was a wild mess of curls, at least he used to, these days he can't be bothered with how she wears her hair. He leaned against the dresser watching her for a moment, but it wasn't in the sweet and romantic sort of way. He was scrutinizing her, as if she were something for him to study not the woman he loved. 

That's using the term love rather loosely though. 

She stood in front her floor length mirror, finishing up her hair, when she caught his reflection in the mirror and smiled at him, already brushing aside the fact that this was the fourth time this week he turned down fucking her. He forced a smile in return and started to walk towards her, brushing his fingers across her lower back. “When do you have to leave,” she asked, setting the brush aside and focusing her attention on him. 

He rifled through the closet, pulling out something to wear today, sine he had to meet with the guys. “Around nine tomorrow evening? This is a pretty short tour though, so I'm not going to be for too terribly long.” In all honesty he had been looking forward to this, because not only did it mean time away from a life he was forcing himself into, but it also meant plenty of time with Zayn. 

If Liam Payne were a superhero, then Zayn Malik would surely be his kryptonite. 

She nodded her head and stepped in front of him, sliding her hands up his bare chest and resting them on his shoulders. “I'm going to miss you,” she said sweetly, leaning up no her toes to press a kiss to his lips, and while he kissed her back, every part of his brain screamed at him that this wasn't right. He used to be able to push it away, bury it down because he knew that what he really wanted wasn't going to be a reality. He had accepted that and chose to move on years ago, after that one night. That one kiss. Zayn acted like nothing had happened between them, and Liam followed his lead, because he wasn't about to let his friendship go to shit because of a silly crush.

His tongue flicked over her bottom lip and he tasted the sticky sweetness of her lipgloss, and while it was pleasant enough, he ached to taste that sweet smoky flavour that was Zayn. He slowly pulled back and murmured an 'I'll miss you too' before pecking her on the forehead and turning back to what he was going to wear today. He heard her heels clicking across the hard floor, the sound echoing around the room and her voice calling out that she would seem him later for dinner. 

He sighed once he heard the door shut, and pulled on a polo shirt over his white tee, before shucking off his sweats and replacing them with a pair of well fitting jeans. He was meeting up with the other boys today, finalizing some plans for their upcoming shows they had planned, and doing a bit of rehearsing. He tried not to think too much about the fact that he would be around Zayn again, because when he did that, his heart would start to pound painfully in his chest, his lungs robbing him of oxygen, because fuck if seeing him didn't leave him breathless and aching just to touch him. 

He slipped into his trainers, threw on a light sweater and was out the door, keys and phone stuffed into his pockets. He had been staying at Danielle's every night for the passed week, she had a habit of getting clingy right before he was about to leave for any extended amount of time. He used to love it. That feeling of being wanted and desired. Now he cringes when he thinks about another night in her bed, because all he really wants is to just go home, to his own place, curl up in his large bed and get lost in the fantasies that he sometimes let himself indulge in late at night. Raven hair, tattooed skin, tanned muscles that rippled in ways he didn't think could possibly be legal. Those deep chestnut coloured eyes boring into him, a gaze that could be felt throughout his entire body, and sometimes he thought he would catch that look in passing, but he would always tell himself he was dreaming, because he left.

He was the one who walked away. 

He pulled up to the studio where they were going to be going over some vocals, finalizing what tracks they would be performing, and synchronizing certain moves. He sat in his car for a moment, hands clenching the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, before relaxing his grip and pulling the keys out of the ignition. He stepped into the large building, walking down a hall he had walked through a hundred times before, until he came to the right room. Everyone else was already there, Harry leaning against Louis, looking up at him with a dreamy look that did nothing to hide that there was something going on between the two of them, even if they hadn't openly admitted it. He would watch them sometimes, take notice to how attune they were with each other and their needs, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of want, because why couldn't he have that with Zayn? 

Niall was eating, which was no surprise, switching between taking bites out of his burger and stuffing chips into his mouth. An amused smirk tugged at his lips and he chuckled quietly, before he turned his head to meet those rich eyes he often saw in his dreams. There it was, that rapid pulse, the constricted breathing...same as it always was. He smiled at him, swallowing roughly as he walked over to him, sitting down on the couch, their bodies not too far away from each other. He could feel it, the heat, reaching out and licking at his skin like ravenous flames that wanted nothing more than to eat him alive. 

“About time, Liam...” 

_Kryptonite._


	3. Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam is battling with his feelings for Zayn while on tour, finding it nearly impossible to be around Zayn. Torturing himself day in and day out with the feelings of longing that seem to be rather one sided. Maybe it's not as one sided as Liam thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting to the good stuff! Sorry it took me a while, real life got a little crazy, promise not to go that long without updating again! (At least, I'll try really hard not to)
> 
> Again, not beta'd, so sorry for any mistakes, I just really wanted to get this up for you guys. 
> 
> Hope you like it, and thank you for reading! <3

**de·sire**  
 _noun_  
a strong feeling of wanting something or wishing for something to happen

There was something about performing that always left Liam in this state, that he would compare to a sort of high, not that he knew what that really felt like. His ears would be ringing for a good twenty minutes after leaving the stage, the screams of their fans echoing through his brain. His skin, sweaty and tingling, clothes clinging to his body, he always felt this nearly desperate need to peel them off as soon as they were backstage. He pulled off his button down, a smile curving over his lips, so wide it nearly hurt his face, but he couldn't have cared less. This sort of feeling, it never got old, never ceased to make him happy. It was where he was truly in his element, and he got to share that with his four best friends, it was everything he could have possibly asked for. 

He balled up the shirt and tossed it Niall, laughing as it smacked him in the face, and a sort of disgusted expression twisted up in his features, considering it was damp from his sweat. “You bloody bastard,” he called after Liam as he took off for his dressing room, hands curling into the hem of his shirt as he passed through the doorway, tugging it over his head. The boys were talking about going out to a club tonight, letting loose, since this was their last show of their small tour, at least until the big one rolled around. They had a few performances lined up, but nothing too major. Liam, however, wasn't really much in the mood to go out, so he told them he would just go back to the hotel, maybe do a twitcam and get some rest. 

After changing out of his clothes and into something a bit more comfortable, a pair of loose jeans and a t-shirt, he threw his concert clothes into a duffle bag, put on his snapback and sneakers, and then turned off the lights, slinging the bag over his shoulder as he walked out the door. He went down a small hallway that led to one of the back entrances, away from where crowds of fans would gather, because he really just wanted to make a quick escape tonight. Just before he pushed open the door though, he heard Zayn's voice calling out his name, and his body went slightly rigid. He had to scream at himself to breathe evenly, because something so simple took real effort when he was around the other boy. He forced a smile onto his face and looked over his shoulder, that burning pain filling his lungs, and he could have sworn he was having a heart attack with the sharp pains that radiated from his chest. 

“Liam,” he called again, much closer this time, and slowing his job down into a brisk walk. “Mind if I catch a ride back with you,” he asked as he walked up to him, a hopeful look on his face. A part of him wanted to tell him no, just go out with the other guys and leave him be to his torturous thoughts, Liam wasn't quite strong enough for that though, and he caved the instant he saw that pleading look in those warm brown eyes. 

“Yeah, of course... You don't want to go out with the guys?” 

Zayn smiled softly and just shook his head. “Not really in the mood for dealing with a crowd tonight. I'm a bit knackered.” Liam nodded in understanding, sometimes it was too much of a hassle to go out, as much as he loved their fans, it was just a bit much at times. “Alright then, let's go,” he said softly, smiling back at him, hoping Zayn wouldn't notice it was a bit forced. 

Now, Liam had been looking forward to this, seeing Zayn, getting to spend time with him. But, he had quickly found out, that as hard as it was to be around Danielle, it was equally hard to be around Zayn. Not for the same reasons, of course. Zayn had a habit of talking about Perrie, a lot. To the point where Liam was starting to resent the girl, and she hadn't even done anything to him. Well, besides date the guy that he was in love with, but no body knew that. It started to feel like actual torture to be around him, and he hated himself for that, because his best mate was happy, he should be delighted that he was, and he tried with all his power to appear to be so in front of everyone else. In private though, it was then he could let himself be angry and hurt, and not have to explain himself to anyone. 

The drive back to the hotel was short, but it seemed like ages to Liam. The tight, enclosed space made Zayn's scent more potent, and he had to roll down the windows to escape it, because that musky, smokey scent, that reminded him a bit of how he tasted, invaded his senses and overtook his brain, and he had to clutch the steering wheel tighter, just so he wouldn't lunge across the seat and start kissing him breathless. He tried to hide the sigh of relief he let out when they finally pulled up to the hotel, throwing the car in park and pulling out his keys quickly. He didn't bother with reaching in the back to grab his bag, he couldn't be arsed with that right now. He just needed to get inside, into his room, take a shower, have a wank and try not to think about Zayn (of course he would fail at that). 

Liam waited until Zayn was out of the car before he locked it, walking around to the back, waiting for him, before walking up to the hotel, that cigarette dangling from Zayn's full lips, dark hair falling over his forehead, god he was beautiful, and looked far too seductive smoking a goddamn cigarette, it should be fucking illegal. The reached the door and Zayn put out his cigarette, grabbing the door and holding it open for Liam. He flashed him a small smile before stepping inside and heading straight for the elevator. Great, another enclosed space, this time there wouldn't be a window for him to escape that godforsaken scent he loved so much. 

They both stepped through and Liam hit the number for their floor, letting out a slow breath before curling his hands around the metal bar that went around the elevator, gripping onto it tightly. He stares off at the nothing in particular, trying to keep his gaze from straying over to Zayn. He lets his mind blank out a little, because he doesn't really want to think, not anymore. Of course that is only short lived. 

“Are you okay? You've been pretty quiet tonight...” 

The voice shakes Liam out of his thoughts and pulls his attention away from that spot on the shiny black wall he had been staring at. He looks over at his best mate, teeth sinking into his lip. “Yeah...I'm fine, just tired is all,” he says quietly, managing a small smile before looking down at the floor. His view is then obstructed by another set of feet, clad in a pair of Nikes, a stark contrast to his Converses. He swallows thickly and looks up, and Zayn is just too close. He can feel the panic starting to take over him, his heart thudding against his ribs so fast, it felt as if it was beating it's way out of his chest to get to Zayn. 

“You're lying.”

“No I'm not.” 

But Liam doesn't sound convincing at all, his voice is nearly breathless, and it cracks towards the end. The look that's on Zayn's face, he can't quite get a read on it, and that's one thing he hated and loved at the same time. He would get these expressions, and Liam wouldn't be able to figure them out for the life of him, keeping that mysterious quality he possessed alive. His fingers curl tighter around the bar, knuckles going white with his efforts to keep from grabbing his hips, pulling his body in against him. His lips part and lets out a small whimper as Zayn moves in even closer, and now they are just barely touching, and Zayn is looking up at him through his thick lashes, with an expression that is dark, and it makes his cock twitch inside of his jeans. 

“Yes... You are...” 

Zayn's voice is husky and Liam feels like he is going to melt into the ground right then and there. A shudder works up his spine and he can't stand it anymore, he can't take the tension that's thick around them, making it impossible for him to breathe, his mind going fuzzy. He just stops thinking, and his body takes over, and he let's it. His hands let go of the bar and they curl into Zayn's hips, roughly tugging him forward, and he's surprised when Zayn doesn't try to pull away or stop him. “No,” Liam whispers huskily, his lips grazing down his jawline, breath hot against Zayn's skin. “I'm not,” he finishes when he reaches his full and perfect mouth, mumbling the words against it before kissing him firmly. 

In an instant, Liam's blood begins to boil, and this is nothing like their first kiss. Where that one was sweet and tender, full of curiosity and exploration, this one is full of heat, desire, pent up longing that Liam is finally pouring into that hot mouth, and the shocking thing is, he can feel it coming from Zayn's end to. A pair of hands grazes up his sides and he shivers, pressing his body into Zayn's tightly. His tongue grazes over his lips, followed by his teeth, nipping at the bottom one and sucking it into his mouth, groaning as he does. He hears the elevator ding and breaks away from him, panting heavily and looking down at those lust filled amber eyes, and that dark look makes his knees go weak. 

The doors slide open and he steps out, sort of thankful for the escape, because now he can finally breathe, and the initial intake of air, that is heavy with Zayn, burns his lungs, as if he was drowning and is taking his first non-watery breath. He doesn't really know what to do now, what that kiss meant, but he wants more, he wants so much more. Thankfully Zayn saves him from having to think too much about it.

“Want to go back to my room.” 

Liam gazes over at him, nodding his head without really thinking about it. The smirk that he gets in response makes his stomach flip, and he follows Zayn down the hall, silently hoping this wasn't going to blow up in his face. Having Zayn walk out on him once was hard enough, if anything like that were to happen again, he was sure he would fall apart.


End file.
